The NCG Golf Podcast

The Slam: Take note, PGA Tour - LIV Golf have finally got it right!

In this week's episode of The Slam, a National Club Golfer podcast in association with Callaway, Alex Perry and Matt Chivers discuss the raucous LIV Golf event in Adelaide and why the PGA Tour should be taking notes.

Elsewhere, is the LPGA in the best shape ever? The first women's major of 2023 would certainly point that way.

And how about that bizarre rules incident on the Korn Ferry Tour? Is golf shooting itself in the foot again?

Let's dive in...

From the Clubhouse: The good, the bad, and how we’d improve golf club catering

Is a bacon roll a crucial part of your golfing day? Do you still enjoy getting together for a post-round feast? And is the key to a player's heart really through their stomach?

On this week's From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade Golf, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll are discussing the culinary options we have as members and visitors at golf clubs.

The pair go through their best experiences of golf club catering, talk about some of the challenges facing clubs - including a look at why it often loses money - and then try and come up with some innovative ways to make it all even better.

Steve, a vegetarian, has had quite enough of halloumi and Tom explains the incredible lengths his home club go to so as to make sure his son has something he enjoys tucking into.

It'll probably be more pie and chips than Michelin Star, but we hope there's something in this podcast that leave you feeling satisfied afterwards. So let's dig in...

The Slam: Good and (mostly) bad ideas to fix the PGA Tour’s biggest issues - slow play and playoffs

Playoffs are an annoying way to end a golf tournament, aren't they? After 72 holes of stroke play, the stars don't want to go out there and play more. So in this episode of The Slam, a National Club Golfer podcast in association with Callaway, Alex Perry and Matt Chivers have some sensible and some not-so sensible ideas to fix it. 

We also tackle Patrick Cantlay and slow play, Rory McIlroy's controversial WD from the RBC Heritage, the PGA Tour's most underrated superstar, and the caddie GOAT.

That's a lot to squeeze into 45 minutes, so let's dive in... 

From the Clubhouse: Inside the weird and wonderful world of club match play golf

Do you put on a Seve-style game face when you tee it up in the knockout or do you find match play such a fuss you don't even bother to enter?

In this week's From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade Golf, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll go on a deep dive into club match play competitions. 

Tom gets his medals out from successful forays into person-to-person combat and dissects the delights of this peculiar format - from arranging games to on-course small talk.

Steve reveals the strangest way he was kicked out of a competition and has a request for players he meets in match play: don't ask him what he does for a living.

And, since everything always seems to end up back at the World Handicap System, the pair consider the allowances for single and betterball combat and ask if high handicappers have the advantage.

The Slam: What’s it like to go to the Masters? We went to Augusta to find out!

In the latest episode of The Slam - a National Club Golfer podcast in association with Callaway - Alex Perry joins Matt Chivers from Georgia as he discusses his truly unforgettable week on the ground at the Masters, as well as the drama from the final round.

Jon Rahm secured his second major title in an emotional fashion, on what would've been Seve Ballesteros' 66th birthday. Alex and Matt break down the significance of Rahm's victory, as well as the return to major contention of Brooks Koepka.

How impressive was Phil Mickelson's performance at Augusta, and did the LIV Golf players surprise you with high finishes on the leaderboard?

We discuss this and much more about the first men's major of 2023...

From the Clubhouse: Augusta Syndrome is real! How does your club get through it?

What a time to be alive! The Masters is on TV, Augusta National is looking as superb as ever, and by Monday morning we'll be itching to get the clubs out of the garage and attack the fairways at our own course.

And, yet, following the wettest March in the UK for decades, what we're going to experience probably couldn't be further away from those superbly manicured fairways and perfect greens in Georgia.

It's been a challenging time for greenkeeping teams trying to get a course ready for the start of our competition season, and Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll have sought out expert help in trying to explain what's been going on.

We welcome Sam Evans, Master Greenkeeper and Course Manager at North Hants GC, in Hampshire, and go deep on Augusta Syndrome, why some of us need to get a bit of perspective, and the challenges that are facing greenkeepers as we get into the spring.

We'll also get into the roll back debate and Steve - as usual - has a controversial suggestion for golf club committees to give all of our courses a helping hand.

The Slam: Who will win the Masters? (And will LIV spoil the party?)

On this episode of The Slam - a National Club Golfer podcast in association with Callaway - Alex Perry and Matt Chivers are joined by NCG's resident tipster, Oddschecker's Tom Jacobs, to break down the contenders as we head into what we're calling "the most open Masters ever".

There will be a number of LIV Golf players teeing up at Augusta. Can one of them get over the line? And what would that mean for LIV - and golf - as a whole?

The trio also assess the chances of the Big Three - Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler - as well as the outside shots they expect to make a run at the Green Jacket.

Will we have a first European winner since Sergio Garcia in 2017? They think so - and it might not be the names you think.

You know what to do...

From the Clubhouse: Is golf club membership worth the money?

Have you paid your golf club membership subscription yet? For lots of us, deadline day is approaching very fast and it might be a last gasp decision whether to dig deep and stump up.

In this week's From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade Golf, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll consider the value of golf club membership.

Is it better value for money to be a member of a golf club, pay up front, and get the benefits of exclusive use, or is pay as you play in a green fee model the way to go?

Steve outlines some of his issues with having to lump up front for full membership, and whether that causes problems for particular age groups in clubs, while Tom outlines some of the considerations you should be thinking about when weighing up the decision and looks at golf club membership benefits.

It gets a bit lively at times but, as always, we hope you appreciate the golf membership debate. Let's get right into it...

The Slam: Should Team Europe be worried about another Ryder Cup thrashing?

On this episode of The Slam, a National Club Golfer podcasts in association with Callaway, Alex Perry and Matt Chivers discuss the WGC-Match Play and, in particular, its absence from next season's schedule, the nonsense that is the third-place playoff, and the Golf Channel's controversial graphic that had social media alight.

They are also joined by Ryder Cup obsessive Rob Giannotti, of Blue on the Board, to discuss everything to do with the European team. So should captain Luke Donald be concerned about his players' form - particularly in Austin - and how does the team prepare to avoid another hammering at the hands of the Americans?

As for who makes the team - will anyone come from out of nowhere to grab a slot? Rob puts one name into the ring that will definitely throw you!

It's a fascinating insight, so be sure not to miss it...

From the Clubhouse: We talk WHS with England Golf’s Head of Handicapping James Luke

We don't want you to think of us as one-trick-ponies but it's another podcast and another week talking about the World Handicap System.

That's because Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll took the From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade Golf, on the road and visited Woodhall Spa, the headquarters of England Golf, to speak to James Luke, the governing body's new Head of Handicapping and Course Rating.

We get stuck into course rating, PCC, interoperability, and much more besides - including if higher handicappers are actually dominating competitions, the vital role of the marker in protecting the integrity of the system, and what might be coming in the future. 

There are some funny stories along the way too so let's get stuck in...